1. A Reinvigorated Call for Support of Title IX at the High School Level

Burton, L. (2009, October). A Reinvigorated Call for Support of Title IX at the High School Level.
JOPERD: The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, pp 4-5. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Database.

The main focus of this article is about how girls' sports do not get enough attention or funding even under Title IX. High School sports are not required to report or disclose information about their gender equity at a National level. Luxuries that are provided to boys but not girls are locker rooms, weight rooms, use of fields and courts, new uniforms, more than one coach, qualified coaches, coach salaries, etc. Due to the fact that High Schools aren't required to report requirements, the only way that issues regarding Title IX become recognized are by angry coaches or parents of girls on sports teams. Also, there are many high schools in the nation that do provide equal opportunities for both girls and boys, however they go unrecognized because they don't have to report their requirements. This gives schools that are poorly following Title IX nothing to compare themselves to.

This article pinpoints a few examples of schools around the United States that have brought issues to court, but the problem is not only nationwide, many local schools in Rhode Island and schools in neighboring states are having the same type of issues. Girls' sports don't receive enough time, money, or respect. I believe that high schools, like colleges, should have to disclose information about gender equity between boys' and girls' sports. This would acknowledge the schools respecting and following Title IX, while giving the girls at schools that are disregarding Title IX a change to have a say in how they are treated.


2. High School Sports; Title IX Trickles Down to Girls of Generation Z

Pennington, B. (2004, June 29). High School Sports; Title IX Trickles Down to Girls of Generation Z.
The New York Times, p. D1.

This article centers on the lawsuits brought about involving Title IX and high school sports, mainly girls' softball and boys' baseball. The majority of these lawsuits employ girls' sports teams needing better fields, better locker rooms, better equipments, etc. Or, as the author of the article says, "facilities comparable....to those already afforded to boys' high school baseball teams". The vast majority of cases that have been brought to the courts have been settled in favor of girls' sports, and have resulted in more money, the building of new facilities, etc. The fathers of girls playing sports in high school are the majority of the people lining up to take their issues with Title IX to court. The Dads who played sports in high school and had a plethora of opportunities are wanting to same for their daughters; "they don't want to move backwards". In 1972, when Title IX was first enacted, only about 1 in 27 girls played a high school sport, or about 275,000. Now, every 1 in 3 girls plays a sport in high school, which is about 2.8 million girls.

Not all high schools are facing gender equity issues, however the majority of them across the country are. Even in Rhode Island, there are high schools that are not complying with the 1972 law. While some cases may be much more serious than others, it is still happening locally. Also, most of the money that goes towards sports in high school usually comes from the booster clubs, which collect money from local parents and community members. The school boards then decided where to spend the money, and the majority of it ends up going towards boys' sports such as football. This is unfair. Each sport should get a certain amount and each team should decide what they want to spend their percentage of the money on. Especially with almost 10 times the number of girls playing in high school sports compared to 35 years ago when Title IX was first implemented, girls' sports and boys' sports should get equal amounts of money, equal scheduling opportunities, equal modes of transportation to games, equal facility use, an equal number of qualified coaches, and much more.

3. Does America Still Need Title IX?

Gekas, A. (June, 23, 2009). Does America Still Need Title IX?.
Newsweek, No Volume. Retrieved December 4, 2009 from http://www.newsweek.com/id/33570/page/1.

This article argues that the United States needs to keep Title IX, even though there are many people who believe we do not need it anymore. According to the article, Title IX states that "no person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance". The majority of discrimination that happens in high schools today is involved in athletics and the gaps between opportunities available to boys and opportunities available to girls. This article argues that we need to keep Title IX so that we don't loose progress and so that the next generation will be able to see that we as a country stand for equality and are trying to change something that is unfair.

The most important problem that this article visits is the fact that it is very important to keep Title IX in order to maintain progress in gender equity in sports and to make a promise to the future generations of the country that men and women will be fully equal eventually. This article is important to my research because it stands behind the fact that we should keep Title IX alive and keep trying to improve situations at high schools in which girls' are not given the same opportunities as boys' when it comes to athletics.

4. Beyond the Classroom: Using Title IX to Measure the Return to High School Sports

Stevenson, B. (March 2006). Beyond the Classroom: Using Title IX to Measure the Return to High School Sports. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from http://law.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1859&context=alea.

This article highlights the facts about how Title IX has changed high school athletics from when it first was enacted until present (2006). The author also briefly speaks about the correlation between participating in high school athletics and then going on to college athletics. Before Title IX, girls were not able to participate in high school sports, so they were less likely than boys to attend college. Also, there has been little research on the effect that Title IX has on high school sports because there are very few data sources for this. The author then goes on to say that Title IX has not all been negative, as it has increased the number of girls that are able to play high school sports by an extremely large amount since 1972 when the law was enacted.

Information such as this, especially information from a scholarly article, is good as background information for my research. The author talks about the basic ideas of Title IX and how it has affected people for about 35 years. There are no surprising facts in the article, but it is a good addition to my research because it basically states what Title IX is and how it affects girls' and boys' sports.

5. Review of Gender Equity in Interscholastic Athletic Opportunities in Minnesota's Secondary Schools.

Review of Gender Equality. (1998). Review of Gender Equity in Interscholastic Athletic Opportunities in Minnesota's Secondary Schools. Retrieved December 6, 2009, from http://www.eric.ed.gov:80/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED442787&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED442787.

Although this article is based on Minnesota's athletics, most of the information can be expanded and related to the entire United States struggling with Title IX in high school athletic. Also, even though opportunities for girls' sports are improving, they are still not up to par with the opportunities available for boys. There are certain factors that determine the equity between boys' and girls' athletics: accommodation of interest and abilities, equipment and supplies, scheduling of games and practice time, travel and per diem allowance, opportunity to receive coaching and academic tutoring (assignment and compensation of coaches), locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities, medical and training facilities and services, publicity, support services, and final factors, including athletic fees and awards.

This article was helpful in my research because it puts into perspective how realistic this issue is in all states. A survey was given to schools in Minnesota and the results were that girls are clearly not equal with boys in the athletic department at high schools. There were also many real life examples of this given throughout the report. The report also noted of certain things that the schools have tried to equalize athletics, but failed in the end.